In the past, a number of attempts have been made to provide means to remove dents from automobile bodies. For many years workman have used a traditional tool known as a slap hammer which includes a pointed tip used for engagement with the body panel, usually by screwing it into a hole which has been previously drilled. Thereafter, a weight which is slidable upon a shaft connected to the point is used to hammer the weight outwardly to pull the fender back into shape. U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,056 teaches a slap hammer which includes a stud welding gun to releasably grip a stud and weld it to the dent and an integral hammer means which applies force to the stud and straightens the dent.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,791 which discloses a pneumatic puller having a threaded point and includes a piston for driving force against a rear cap by pressure of compressed gas and a spring is used to return the piston within the tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,042 provides a pneumatic puller which includes a universal joint which allows the apparatus to cooperate with a pneumatic wrench and a harness is used to prevent the output shaft from disengagement from the universal joint.
These and other prior art references are complete and functional for their intended use, however, each have inherent drawbacks which the present invention addresses. Such as the use of external drive which can be dangerous for the workman and the need of a piston and/or a universal joint. Also, the present invention eliminates impact to the shaft on the driver, unlike the prior art.
The prior art of reference necessitates the need to drill a hole and then screw the tip of the slap hammer into the workpeice, whereby, the need of an additional tool, such as a drill, is required. The present invention eliminates this need, in one embodiment, as we provide a unique bit, which includes "both" drill flutes and screw threads.